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Friday, October 10, 2014

Sporty social network Fancred finally scores an Android app

For Fancred CEO Hossein Kash Razzaghi, sports are the ultimate way to unite people. Beginning today, the sports-focused social network already available on iOS and PCs makes its debut in the Google Play Store, allowing Android users to step up to the plate. For those unaware of Fancred, think of it as a digital scrapbook; a place to keep track of all your favorite sports teams and sporting memories.

Unlike broader social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, Fancred hopes to simply capture its user’s lives as sports fans. It does this by providing the ability to upload photos and videos, check-in at sporting events, or post articles to the Fancred Sports Feed. Any followers then have the ability to thumbs-up, thumbs-down, comment, or share any of this content they see.

“Fancred gives fans a platform to share their unique memories and experiences,” says Kash, “like their online resume as a sports fan.” Though Kash says he doesn’t really like this analogy, it’s the center of what makes Fancred so great. Not only does it allow you to connect with other staunch supporters of your teams, but it makes it easy to interact with them every day of the year. You could root for the Boston Red Sox, but be based in Portland, Oregon, yet still feel like a part of your team’s community. This experience alone allows it to stand apart from competing social networks, and lets it unite communities of sports-crazed fans.

“I wanted to connect people through sports,” Kash says referring to what sparked the idea for Fancred, “and give them a sense of community.” For Kash himself, he learned the impact sports has on people’s lives — including his own — at an early age while growing up in the small town of Starkville, Mississippi. The way the town lived and breathed football each weekend resonated with Kash, only his sporting memories were stored in a shoebox rather than online. Everything from ticket stubs to game programs made its way inside, creating something special on which to look back on in the future.When Fancred launched in early 2013, Kash and his team used that shoebox for inspiration. In just a few short months after its release, Fancred had several professional sports teams join the community, and its overall membership steadily began to expand. Today, Fancred sees considerable growth every month, ensuring its on track to reach its goal of becoming “the world’s largest sports community.”

Though venturing into the Android market seems like a logical next step for any growing app, it was a surprisingly long road to the Play Store for Fancred. “At first we chose to develop for iOS because Android offered too many devices to build for,” he says. When Kash and his crew realized those different Android devices offered a considerable untapped market, it was a no-brainer to pursue the funds necessary for expansion.

Kash also references the app’s 5-star rating in the Apple App Store, and continuous angry tweets from fans wanting an Android version, as reasons why the app was inevitable. Fancred hit a home run during a funding round this past summer, and secured $3 million in investor funds, allowing it to develop and release its sports-minded social media network to millions more people.

Fancred is available for download in the Google Play store, the Apple App Store, or in your browser at Fancred.com.